Plantago coronopus

Plantago coronopus, also known as the buck's-horn plantain, minutina or erba stella, is an edible biennial or annual plant from our native flora that can be grown in the vegetable garden for its leaves or for medicinal purposes. It is recognised by its divided leaves resembling deer antlers, dark green in colour, and its narrow flower spikes, which are yellowish in colour. Buck's horn plantain is somewhere between a salad and an aromatic herb. Its leaves are used in Mesclun salads, adding a slightly salty flavour, as well as for medicinal purposes to relieve minor burns or cuts. It is a plant that thrives in sunny, poor, and dry sandy soils, especially in coastal areas. It also grows well in non-compact clay soils. The leaves can be harvested throughout the year.

Less well known than its cousin,  lanceleaf plantain,  buck's-horn plantain (Plantago coronopus) is a biennial plant native to central and southern Europe, western Asia, and North Africa. It is found in sandy soils and paths. Buck's-horn plantain is the flagship of the botanical family Plantaginaceae.

Naturally growing in dry and nutrient-poor soils, where it faces little competition, this biennial plant forms a spreading rosette with deeply divided narrow leaves resembling deer antlers. It flowers from April to October, with arched flower stalks bearing cylindrical or rectangular, slender, densely packed yellowish flowers at their tips.

In the garden, this herb is cultivated for its young, tender leaves, which can be consumed raw in mixed salads or cooked like spinach. It can also be used to treat minor wounds and insect bites, as it has emollient and astringent properties.

Harvest: The young leaves can be harvested throughout the year, as needed.

Storage: The leaves should be consumed immediately after harvesting.

Gardener's tip: Like lamb's lettuce, buck's-horn plantain should be sown in non-compact soil. While in its natural state, the rosette of this plantain spreads widely on the ground, it may have a slightly more upright habit when cultivated.